Invasion
by BlindMediaProductions
Summary: Rin and his crew are on an Alternian ship that's circling a planet. Their orders are to wait for backup before invading the planet in the name of Alternia and Her Imperious Condescension, but when the takeover begins the natives fight back, and no one is prepared for the consequences.
1. Chapter 1: Stuck in Space

A/N - This is something I did on my own on a whim while wanting to write about mine and my friend's fantrolls. The original start date was November 2011, so obviously anything that happened in the comic after that date could not be taken into account here. Please keep that in mind while reading this, and the fact that this is, as always, AU.

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It's hard to say where things started to go wrong. We'd been in space for a long time, but 'time' loses its meaning when all that's outside is an abyss of stars and planets passing by and all that's inside are bedrooms, a kitchen, the storage hold, the training room that made up the entire lower deck of the ship and the bridge, all connected by thin metal hallways. There is no sense of day or night when there's no constant sun, everything gets messed up and all you want to do is get through your shift and try to relax as best you can when it's your time off. You sleep only when you're tired, eat only when you're hungry and generally fall into a habit of not doing anything outside of lazing around unless it's necessary.

For the past few days, though, our ship had been hanging out in orbit near a planet at the very edges of the planet we were supposed to invade. Our commanding officer was also one of my best friends, and if he had it his way we would have just landed and started the invasion. But just hours before we reached orbit an order had come in from The Condesce to hold off until she could get a little more intelligence on what exactly we were up against. Apparently the last crew that tried to invade had been killed before they got very far and that was cause enough to force her to send in a scouting ship that we were to wait for, gather the information from and report back to her with a plan of attack that then had to be approved before we made any move.

I'm not sure what the timeline would have been in terms of our time, but in this planets time we had been sitting in orbit for six sun rotations, and some of the others were getting antsy. There was no word from the scouting ship, our orders were still standing and now it looked like a fight was about to break out...

"I told you, we have our ordersss!" Our commander, Rin, all but yelled at the black blooded girl who stood in front of him.

"Screw the orders. The scouts are obviously dead or captured or worse, we've had no word in six rotations. I say call The Condesce, explain the situation and see if our orders change." The girl, Rekera, growled back at him.

The two were pretty similar in height so they were glaring into one anothers eyes, both stubborn as hell and both ready to start throwing punches and draw weapons to fight it out of need be. I'd known them both for most of my life, and I could tell that if something didn't happen soon they'd be on the floor throwing punches. Not that I would interfere, they were both far stronger and much more experienced fighters than I and it wouldn't do any good anyway.

"Sssay that again, Rekera. I am in charge here, and if you don't like that then get off my ssship." Rin hissed deeply, daring the black blood to challenge him.

There was a moment's pause, and in that split second I almost thought that Rekera would just walk away from it. I should have known better.

Rekera lunged at Rin, tackling him to the floor with her hands around his neck. Rin kicked her in the stomach and managed to get to his feet, drawing his weapon from the card he kept in his pocket at all times. The scythe formed easily in his hands, the purple blood taking hold of it as if the weight had been there all his life while Rekera pulled out her parasol. It was made of reinforced crystal that would easily match up to his scythe and the sharp spike on the end was more than enough to make it deadly, along with the electrical charge it could fire short distances from that same tip.

With weapons drawn this had finally become serious, and on a ship this small word spread fast. In moments everyone who wasn't on some critical duty had gathered around waiting to see how this would all turn out, though there was silence as none of them dared cheer the fight on. Rin and Rekera didn't need the encouragement anyway, after just a moment of silence the two had their weapons locked together and each was pushing to try and knock the others away to gain the edge in the fight.

Not a moment too soon after the two were together the giant communication screen flickered on to reveal the face of Her Condesce as she was obviously ready to say something important yet said nothing when she saw what was going on. She was not a patient woman, however, and it would not be long before she grew bored with the fight so I finally found it necessary to step in. Rekera was less likely to deck me for interrupting the fight so I went to her, placing a gentle hand on the black blood's shoulder and looking past her to Rin.

Even just that slight touch was odd, as I could feel their bodies straining to put every last ounce of power into the weapons and get even a small bit of budge from the opponent. But soon that stopped as I nodded my head towards the screen and they both knew it was time to end this, weapons withdrawing at the same moment before a small glance was exchanged that said they would continue this later, probably in the training room. For now Rin straightened up and pulled at the bottom of his shirt while Rekera just growled at him and vanished into the crowd of other trolls that had gathered around.

"I apologize, Condessscensssion." Rin wasn't really sorry for what he'd done but he knew he needed to express it or else he'd be in even worse trouble.

"For now I will let it slide, Muerta." The woman's voice rumbled through the ship, making everyone visibly nervous as they shifted their weight in the stifling silence with impatience. "I have new orders for you. The scouting ship is on its way to you now, receive it and gather whatever intelligence they have then report back to me." She didn't even wait for an answer before the screen went blank, and Rin mumbled something to himself before turning to the gathering crowd and all but yelling at them.

"Everyone get back to your dutiesss! Anyone not needed get to the cargo hold and prepare to receive the ssscoutsss, prepare medical attention in cassse they need it and bring me anyone who isssn't critical for a debriefing." There was a moment's silence where no one moved, until... "NOW!" The purple blood shouted, sending the crowd skittering off to do as told. Rekera was among them, and I was quick to leave as well even though I knew I had no duties to attend to and would be of no help down in the cargo hold dealing with the scouting ship. Instead I wandered off back towards the kitchen to see if Jess was there somewhere.

The yellow blooded girl was as rough and tumble as they came, but that was to be expected when she was so low on the hemospectrum and often got picked on because of it. Still, I was only a middleblood so I was taunted by highbloods as well and we got along quite nicely most of the time provided I stayed out of her way. Her blood gave her psionic powers, making her one of the two helmsmen on the ship that kept it running and going in the proper direction but it also made her dangerous when she was angry.

"Hey come on girly, don't be like that..." A voice snapped me out of my thoughts as I walked, a voice I would know anywhere as my eyes only confirmed what I already knew.

Azuras was a flirt and a complete asshole, content to hit on anything that moved. Sure he was good looking in his own right but he didn't have any of his quadrants filled because he was unable to stay with one troll for long before he was off hitting on someone else. Right now he was harassing poor little Illana, another of the mutant bloods on the ship. Normally no one outside of the lowbloods would even so much as talk to a mutant blood like her, but Azuras didn't care who his potential partners were as long as he got some in the end. Illana clearly didn't want any of his shenanigans but she'd always had low self-esteem and things like this didn't help any.

"L-Leave me alone...P-Please..." Illana pleaded as she tried to walk away from him, but Azuras was not going to take no for an answer.

In a split second he had Illana pinned to a wall, face dangerously close to hers as the girl looked on the verge of tears and didn't even try to fight back anymore. I didn't really have anything better to do and I hated the way Azuras walked around the ship like he owned the place despite Rin having told him more than once to quit messing around and leave anyone who wasn't taking well to his advances alone. That and I really did feel bad for Illana, she was such a sweet girl despite all she had been through.

Not wasting too much time I walked a little faster as if I was just trying to move along so that Azuras wouldn't think anything until I was right up next to him. With one good push I sent the other troll sprawling to the floor and snarled at him, daring him to get up and challenge me. Apparently that was the wrong move, since Azuras picked himself up into a crouch and lunged in my direction. Before I knew it we were both on the floor and Illana was crying, begging for us to stop fighting between her sobs. I wasn't even aware that anyone else was around until I felt a tug at my waist and was forcibly pulled away from Azuras. The rush of the fight was still with me so I turned to try and punch whoever had grabbed me only to find there was no one there and that I was suspended in midair, Azuras about three feet away from me suspended the same way. Looking over I saw Jess sitting against the wall holding the still sobbing Illana, her eyes narrowed at us as she used her powers to keep us apart.

"W'at da fuck do ya two dink yer doin'?" She raised her voice but wasn't really yelling, her own way of saying that she was displeased with our behavior but not quite ready to get physical with us...yet. Probably mostly because of Illana, since even Jess knew better than to be overly violent in her presence.

I said nothing, knowing that my own speech was slow and always made me sound stupid. Others always assumed I was just shy or quiet, and I preferred to let it stay that way as much as possible. Besides, I could tell just from looking at Jess that she wasn't really looking for an answer to her question, since Azuras was involved and Illana was crying she already had a good idea of what had happened. After a few moments of silence she let us both down, putting me on my feet as opposed to Azuras whom she just dropped.

"Get outta 'ere Azuras. I catc' ya 'arassin Illana again and I will report ya ta da captain, understood?" Now she was yelling, and for as much as Azuras never liked to admit defeat here he had no choice, it would be two against one if he didn't leave and with the psionic powers Jess possessed she would easily be able to beat him to a bloody pulp without any assistance from me.

No words were said as Azuras left and I brushed myself off, shooting Jess a thankful look for helping me out. Not that I couldn't have held my own in a fight against him, but it would have been nasty if it had kept up. A little bit of blood already splattered the floor from the few punches that had been thrown and I could feel a throbbing pain in my ribs where Azuras had kicked me plus a few other aches from various blows that had landed during the scuffle. For now, though, I ignored that and moved towards Illana to help only to stop as Jess held up her hand and shook her head.

"No, I 'ave dis. Go back ta yer room or somedin'." I knew better than to argue and left silently, sauntering back to the small space I called my own.

The bedrooms weren't very big, just enough space for our Recuperacoons and a few personal belongings. But it was home while we were in space, and after all that had happened I decided it would be best to get some sleep while the scouting ship was being taken care of. Chances were as soon as a plan of action was laid out everyone would be woken and gathered in the bridge to be filled in, but depending on the shape the scouts were in that could take some time. No point in being sleep deprived when the time came to pay attention to what was going on and who would be doing what once our assault on this planet began, after all.

Reaching down I tugged the bottom of my shirt up until it came over my head and arms. It was inside out so I switched it back the right way before tossing it over the back of a chair that sat near a small desk on the far end of the tiny room. The same desk I would later sit down to write this at, but I digress. With my shirt removed I opted to keep my pants and climbed in through the hole in the top of my Recuperacoon before sliding down into the sopor slime that was contained within. After a few seconds I felt calm and wound up falling into my usual dreamless sleep, wondering what would happen when I would awake again.


	2. Chapter 2: Start Mission

I don't know how long I was asleep for, but eventually the peaceful darkness of sleep vanished as someone pounded heavily on my door. Through the fog of just waking up I heard Jess's voice yelling at me to be in the bridge in five minutes, and some threat that if I wasn't and she had to come back to get me things would not be pretty. As much as I wanted to tell myself Jess was kidding I also knew that such words were not empty when it came to the psionic girl, so I pulled myself from my Recuperacoon and slid down to the floor below with a heavy sigh. After allowing a few moments for my mind to return to its proper self I finally left my room and joined a few others who were also just waking as we walked to the bridge of the ship for whatever was going on.

Rin was waiting, looking tall and proud as ever as his eyes stared out over the crowd that had gathered. I could tell he was calculating who was missing and making sure that they were on some important duty that could not be neglected for this meeting. Yet there was also a sense of worry hidden there, something that yielded to the fact that he knew whatever he was about to say would eventually affect us all in a manner less than positive.

It was then that I knew as well there were very few things that could evoke such emotion from Rin, and I took off to find Jess and Rekera in the crowd. Illana was with them as well, nervous as always and shying away from me a little. After what happened earlier I couldn't say I blamed her, so I stood as far away from her as I could, putting Jess and Rekera between us to make her feel better.

"Well, good ta see dat ya got up Stemis. I was worried for a bit dat I mig't 'ave 'ad ta come back and get ya." Jess joked as she tossed me a smile.

"Ii'm fiinee." The words left my mouth and I frowned, still peeved that my body didn't always listen to my mind. I had meant to speak a proper sentence but the words came out slow and broken, as always.

"Good ta 'ear." Jess laughed, then turned her attention back to the gathering crowd. "'E's got da 'ole crew 'ere, wonder w'at's goin' on?"

Looking around, I could see that almost literally everyone on board had gathered now. Only a few were missing, but thinking about it for a second I knew that they were all somewhere where their work could not be interrupted and it was likely that Rin would broadcast his message across the entire ship to make sure that they heard whatever he was going to say as well. I had known Rin a long time; he, Rekera and Illana and I had grown up together despite a few bumps in the road somehow managed to remain friends. Seeing him like this, so obviously worried as he tried to find the right words, it was hard for me to stay calm. I began to worry as well; worry that whatever would happen next we wouldn't make it out the other side, or if we did that things would never manage to be the same between us again for some reason.

"Asss you all know." Rin began once the crowd settled down, his voice stern as he looked out over those of us who had gathered. "A few hoursss ago we received a ssship that had been sssent to the planet we are currently in orbit around. A ssship that wasss sssent by Her Imperial Condessscensssion to gather intelligence on the planet and report to usss about why the lassst crew to attempt an invasssion failed." There was a moment of silence, and it was clear that Rin was carefully calculating each word as he folded his hands behind his back and took a deep breath. "Of the sssix that were sssent, only one made it back. Before her death jussst a few minutesss ago from injuriesss sssussstained during her missssssion, ssshe managed to sssay that the planet isss full of a wide range of life formsss but alssso that none of them are friendly to ssstrangersss. They attacked the ssscoutsss on sssight and damaged the ssship, forcing the crew to make repairsss while trying to keep themssselvesss hidden, which isss why it took them ssso long to come back to usss." Another pause, but this time Rin looked as serious as ever while he watched the faces of the others. Reactions were crucial at this point, and looking around I could only see a small portion of what he did standing above us looking down.

There was worry on all the faces around me. A sense that they all knew what was coming next, because we were all well aware that no matter how difficult the challenge no planet was to remain unconquered for the sake of the Empire. Either we had to wait for backup, which could take months that we did not have because our supplies were so low, or we'd be going in on a suicide mission where we knew nothing about our enemies other than their extreme hostility and the fact that they'd killed the previous crew and now the scouting team.

"Our ordersss...Are to wait for a backup team of three other ssshipsss that isss being sssent in. They are traveling asss fassst asss they can, for the Condesssce isss fully aware that we are low on sssuppliesss, but it will ssstill take sssome time for them to arrive. In the meantime, twenty-four hoursss from now I am taking a sssmall team and going down to sssome of the more uninhabited areasss in attempt to find what we lack. Hopefully sssomething down there can be usssed asss a sssource of food. I will announce the team later. That isss all for now, everyone isss disssmissssssed back to their dutiesss until further notice." Rin stepped down from his platform and there was a wave of relief that passed through the crowd in his wake before everyone began to meander off back to their duties or to get some sleep before their shifts began.

A crew to go on world was a big job, and with Rin attending the mission there would only be a small few he trusted. I knew that Rekera and I would be included in this, and for as much as I hated him Azuras would also likely be in attendance, he was a great fighter and at least would know it was time to stop goofing off and help out while we were down there. As much as I wished we could bring Jess because of her psionic powers that wouldn't be an option, she'd have to help keep up her duties as a helmsman now that we would have to wait for backup. Chances were it would be just the four of us, and perhaps Illana as well if Rekera made enough of a stink about the girl not being able to come along for the trip. Either way, something in the pit of my stomach did not feel right, like it was predicting that this mission would not go over well.

"I guess that means you and me will be heading down, right Stemis?" Rekera looked over at me, and as I nodded I could see the same sense of worry in her eyes as well. Yet she was too strong and too full of pride to admit to that feeling, and with that being said the black blood put on a smile before leaving with Illana, the shy girl following her like a shadow until they disappeared through the doorway.

"W'at's wrong, Stemis? Ya look like somedin's on yer mind." Jess leaned forward so that she could look me in the eyes, but I shook my head to try and clear the thoughts away.

"Noothiing. Juust...Baad feeeeliing." I muttered, sighing before walking away.

Jess may have had the power to move things with her mind but she was no mind reader, as much as she tried to make herself out to be. I wasn't intending to be rude, but I really did not need her trying to tell me it was going to be okay when I knew it wouldn't be. The few of us would be going in on the equivalent of a suicide mission, and if we did make it out alive there was no telling if anything we brought back would even be useful. No, the idea as a whole did not sit right with me by any means, but at the same time I knew that if Rin asked me to go (he would never demand it) then I would have to say yes, it would be my duty and an honor to accept and head out with him.

Rather than go back to my room right away I wandered around a little bit, trying to let my head wrap around the thought of what we would be doing and how insanely dangerous it would be. I made a point to check my weapons as I walked in the narrow hallways, making sure that they were in top condition just in case we met with any trouble. Yet the more I thought on it the more I realized that I shouldn't expect to come back, the more I thought what it would be like when I died and what that would mean for everyone around me. What would happen if we didn't make it? The ship would not only be down its captain but at least three warriors and still be running low on supplies, which would only make staying put and following orders that much harder for everyone else.

By the time I finally found myself back near my room Rin was waiting for me. He seemed as serious as ever, and I realized looking at him that being the captain was indeed taking its toll on him. Rin was tired, dark purple circles having formed under his eyes and his posture slightly sagging as he stood with his back to the wall.

"Riin..." I tried to smile for him, but it was forced and the second it started I let it go. I wouldn't fool him with it anyway, and moved to open my door so that we could speak inside where there would be a least a little bit of privacy between us.

Rin was quick to follow me in, and once the door was shut I gasped in surprise when he put his arms around me, tensing for a moment before sighing and just letting the silence fall. All I could hear was Rin breathing, the beating of his heart as my head rested on his chest and his hands rested gently on my hips.

"Ssstemisss...I know it'sss sssuicide to asssk, but...Will you come with me tomorrow? Rekera and Azurasss already sssaid yesss, and with you that makesss four of usss." Just enough to safely fit in a small ship and bring back supplies, which was reasonable.

"Hoow coouuld...Ii saayy noo?" I spoke slowly as always, looking up at Rin and seeing in the dim light of the room that he really did not want to have to ask me to do this but at the same time he would feel safer with me helping watch his back and I would feel safer being by his side.

"Good, thank you. I um...I ssshould go, then." Finally letting me go, Rin straightened up and bit his lip before taking a step towards the door.

Yet he didn't get very far, because I reached out with one hand and grabbed his wrist to stop him. For a moment we were both frozen like that, the grip not meant to actually keep him if he was determined to leave but still enough to make him look back at me, for our eyes to meet in a split second of everything I was thinking being conveyed through that glance so that I did not have to speak to say anything.

"Fine." Rin sighed, relaxing as I let him go and gave a small smile to encourage him to move with this train of thought. "I sssuppossse a few hoursss of sssleep couldn't hurt any. If nothing elssse, Rekera will know that I'm here if I'm needed for sssomething and ssshe can't find me anywhere."

For once I gave a true smile then, nodding to Rin before moving to climb up into my Recuperacoon with him not long after me. Our relationship in terms of filling quadrants was complicated, for while we called one another Moirail and while that was more or less the basis of what we had going on it seemed as if a bit of Matesprit was creeping in as time went on. I looked after him, and had always been there for him. I supported his choice to try and become captain of a ship, was there to help him celebrate when he got the job and was the first to sign up for a tour of duty on board. I fought at his side during our past two invasions, and I owed him my life for risking his to carry me back when I was injured during the first one we conducted as a crew. It only made sense that after so much time, after as much as we had been through together, that a friendship would begin to grow into something more.

Yet for now we simply slept side by side. I watched as Rin closed his eyes and drifted off, and I stayed awake for some time to just keep watching him. Without the weight of his responsibilities wearing down upon him Rin almost looked like his old self again, the Rin that I had known growing up before we were pulled into the mandatory military service. The Rin who could still smile, the Rin who didn't yet know that he would someday see those he respected and trusted die around him on a field of war. Despite how violent trolls are as a whole, killing each other out of hate is different than watching the trolls one has come to rely on die.

As Rin slept I watched and waited, unable to find that same peace to drift off to and allowing myself instead to just listen to the sounds of the ship. Other trolls talking as they walked by, the sounds of combat on the deck below as some took to training and sparring with one another so that their skills would not get rusty as they waited for the real fight to get started. It was an odd lullaby that eventually soothed me into sleep alongside Rin, my hand reaching out for his as my mind drifted away and the last thing I remember was seeing a smile on his face, a true smile of peace that I somehow knew I should remember because I would not see it again.


	3. Chapter 3: Captured

As usual my dreams were the comforting black color of nothingness, and by the time I opened my eyes again Rin was gone. There was no warm spot where he had been, a clear sign that he had been up for quite some time. Then again I had figured he wouldn't stay any longer than he had to. We were Moirail and nothing more, even though a small part of me wished we could be. Yet my relationship with Rekera made that all but impossible, and I would never be able to choose between the two if it ever came down to that.

Still, with Rin gone I knew it was time to get up, and I crawled from the comfort of my slime before dressing in my combat gear. I hadn't worn it in some time, not since our last planetary invasion, but I knew it would still protect me as well now as it had back then. Just in time, it seemed, for shortly after I was done Rekera entered my room once she had knocked twice and gave no further warning. She was like that, though, and I didn't mind as I looked up at her with an unsurprised expression.

"Oh good, I thought you were still asleep. And you're all ready to go, too. Come on, we're going on world in about ten minutes. Everyone else is ready and waiting." She smiled, walking over to give me a kiss as I stood.

Despite a slight height difference we had no trouble being so close, and I held her like that for a moment before we parted and I took off towards the hangar where we would take our ship to head down to the world and begin to explore and gather what we needed. Rekera was right behind me, Rin and Azuras already waiting in full gear. Illana and Jess were there too, but only for support since they would not be coming with us.

"G-Good luck you guys!" Illana smiled, but it was forced. She knew we would likely not come back but she was too kind to let that show.

"Thanks Illana. We'll be back, promise." Rekera gave her friend a hug and tried not to seem as worried as she truly was about this whole thing.

Jess just smiled too, but said nothing. Part of her wanted so badly to come along, I could see it in her eyes, but she had other duties to perform as a Helmsman and had to stay put. But they were there for support and that was all that really mattered as we climbed into the smaller ship and strapped in. Rin took the pilot's seat and within minutes we were cleared for flight and took off into space.

All around me was the things I had seen out the few windows of the ship for days. Stars everywhere in the darkness, small twinkling lights that went on forever and the planet rising up to meet us as we entered its atmosphere. The reds and yellows of fire replaced the stars until once again the glass above our heads was clear, the greens of a forest there to greet our eyes. After a few hours of flight and scouting the surrounding area we determined that there were no other forms of highly intelligent life around and that we would be in the clear. Rin landed us near a lake, driving the ship near the ground and a little further into the tree line so it would be more hidden. The back hatch opened up towards the lake for easy entrance and exit, and with the ship situated we were all set to start exploring.

From what we knew from the scouts the air was safe to breathe and the water was safe to drink as long as it was clear. We had a small supply of our own food just in case, because our goal was to stay only a day or two and gather what we could for later analysis so we could come back for more if any of it turned out to be consumable. We'd also need more water, but with a lake so close by it would be easy enough to gather.

"Ssstemisss, you and Azurasss ssstart gathering water and fill the tanksss. Rekera and I will get going on sssome of thessse plantsss. The sssooner we fill the ssship the sssooner we can get out of here." Rin spoke quietly, just in case there was someone else around, and we all nodded before starting on our allotted tasks.

It took the rest of that day for Azuras and I to fill the water tanks, saying almost nothing to one another as we moved the cubes with the handles back and forth from the waters edge to the ship and the large tanks inside that were specifically for holding water. Rekera and Rin had the storage space half full of all kinds of plants and we spent the night in the ship, intending to finish up the following dawn and head back. It was easy enough, and with four of us working on the plant life it shouldn't have been a difficult task to finish it up. At least, that was what we all thought at the time.

When the sun rose again we went straight back to work, and by midday we were ready to leave. That's when disaster struck, a disaster we all should have seen coming. As it turns out there was a group watching us, they were hidden under the canopy when we landed and had been in the area since, watching and waiting.

We were ready to take off when something started to rattle in the cargo hold. Rin landed us in the open by the side of the lake and exited to check it out despite protests from Rekera that it was too dangerous. That's when they struck, fast as lightning and with a screeching noise that was unlike anything any of us had ever heard before. Six of them surrounded Rin, primitive spears pointed at his neck to keep him from reaching for his weapon or making any moves against them. One tipped its head sideways and more emerged from the trees, heading for the ship. They would try to break in, I knew, and if they did we would all be dead.

I only had a split second to make a tough choice; stay and try to fight against an unknown number of enemies with unknown skills or run and leave Rin behind for whatever they would do to him. I chose the latter, jumping into the pilot's seat and starting the engine just as the first spears clattered off the metal of the ship's hull. They wouldn't do any good, something our attackers thankfully did not know, and before they could rally again and find a way inside we were airborne.

Rekera was in shock, and for once Azuras wasn't being an ass. He tried to comfort her as I did my best to pilot us back into space, and by the time we had broken back through the atmosphere she was in tears in the back seat. I was quiet, trying not to think of the last thing I had seen before we left the planet.

The moon was clearly visible once we were in space, and I flew straight towards it until our ship was in view as well. Still shaky, I sent in the radio call as best I could.

"Steemiis too mootheershiip, reequeest...Peermiissiioon too coomee aabooaard." Thankfully the responding voice was familiar and friendly.

"Permission granted, Stemis. Come on in." It sounded like Jess, but I could tell the slight difference in the voice pitch and knew it was actually her sister, Tess. If she was manning the radio waiting for our return it meant Jess was probably acting as the ship's Helmsmen and giving her sister a break. Tess was far more powerful with her psionic powers and often held longer shifts as Helmsmen but even she needed to take a break every now and again.

The hatch of the main ship opened and I piloted us inside until we touched down gently. I cut the engine and let my head hit the back of the seat, hard. A frustrated sigh left my lips and all I could do was sit there as Rekera cried behind me and Azuras tried to get her to calm down before she made herself sick. It didn't really work; I heard her vomit a moment later and Azuras make a sickening sound as he probably made some kind of face at her. Before he could turn from sweet to ass I stood and opened the hatch to let him out, the older male taking the cue and leaving to get himself cleaned up without another word. With him gone I climbed into the back seat and pulled Rekera to her feet, ignoring the black colored puke that was all over her, the floor and the seat.

"Ii'm soorryy..." I whispered, holding her tight as she continued to cry.

"'Ey, I just saw Azuras walk out wid some black stuff all over 'im. 'Ow did dings go down dere? And w'ere is Rin?" Tess showed up, long black hair tied up into a ponytail which set her apart from her short haired sister.

"Riin..." I started, but Rekera finished the sentence for me.

"Rin's dead!" She cried, putting her head on my shoulder to cry more.

"Noot deeaad...Caaptuureed." I managed, holding Rekera tighter as she slumped into my arms. Poor girl passed out from all the crying, not that I was surprised.

"Well, let's get 'er ta 'er room and den ya can tell me all about it." Tess helped me carry Rekera back to her room and lay her down so she could sleep a bit, and I went with the yellow blood to her room so I could try to tell her what happened.

When all was said and done I was tired and finally feeling the effects of what I had done start to weigh me down mentally. It hurt that I had left my best friend behind, and no matter how much I told myself it was to save three other lives it still hurt to think that I would probably never see Rin again.

"Ya did da rig't ding, Stemis. Ya saved yerself, da girl ya love and a skilled warrior. Rin is toug' 'e will be just fine. 'E can 'andle 'imself." She tried to comfort me, but I shook my head.

I felt horrible, and as much as I wanted to cry like Rekera had I also knew that I didn't want to do it in front of Tess. Instead I left, heading back to the hangar and climbing into the cargo ship to cry. I didn't want to be in my room, not when the last memory of that place was Rin falling asleep next to me there and this was the only other place I knew of that I could be alone for a while. I really didn't know what would happen next, but I did know that when Rekera finally got mostly back to herself the first thing she'd do was call the Condescension and make a full report. Where we'd go from there I didn't care, we'd be appointed a new captain and probably be told to assess what we brought back then go back either to pick up more of what was proven to be edible or get more samples to see what was. I would make the trip back every time we had to, because there was some small hope that we'd find Rin and he would still be alive. Somehow.


	4. Chapter 4: Planetary Takeover

I don't know how much time passed, everything just sort of blurred together in the wake of Rin's disappearance and assumed death.

Once we had all calmed down Azuras, Rekera and I contacted Her Condesce and gave a full report about what had happened. She was disappointed that we had lost Rin, but that was to be expected. Our orders were to wait for small supply ship that was nearby and take on its captain as our own, and in the meantime assess the food and water we had brought back to see what was safe to eat and what wasn't so we could survive long term on the planet.

The ship arrived a few days later, its captain an orange blood named Zinnia. She was quick to take over where Rin had left off and while we were glad for the supplies it seemed no one really took too kindly to a lowblood being in charge. All the middlebloods and highbloods on the ship did whatever they could to make her job harder, and the lowbloods just ignored her. Everyone but Illana and I seemed determined to see her fail, but she showed a kind of strength I have never known before by dealing with the problems presented to her and never once complaining or getting angry at the others who were obviously responsible.

"Hey, Stemis?" She asked one day, standing in the doorway of my room as I sat at my desk and sketched in some of the notebooks I kept scattered about.

"Yees?" I looked up at her, wondering what she might want with me.

"Can I sleep in your Recuperacoon? Someone busted mine up pretty bad and it's gonna take some time to fix it. Besides, from vat the others say about you it seems you don't sleep much anyvay." She blinked, waiting for an answer, and I took a moment to size her up.

Zinnia and I had never been close, despite the fact that she had been on board for almost a month at that point. All she probably knew was my name and that I didn't mistreat her like others in the crew did. Though why she was asking me instead of Illana was something I did ponder for a moment I eventually gave up trying to get into her head and shrugged.

"Suuree." Poor girl looked tired anyway, and she deserved to rest after all she had done for us.

"Great, zank you so much. I promise I vill try not to be a pain in ze ass for long." For the first time since she arrived I saw Zinnia smile, and with that said she climbed into the slime and was out like a light in moments, probably feeling safer than she had in a long time.

I wound up falling asleep at my desk, and when I got up Zinnia was gone. But she had left me a note to come see her when I finally woke, so I did just that. I sought the orange blood out only to find that she was in the hold of the ship with the other cargo carriers, one set up to go.

"Ah, velcome Stemis." She smiled again, putting one hand on the side of the ship as she looked up at it. "I vanted to zank you in some way, and ve are running low on supplies again. I heard vat happened to your last commanding officer and how close you vere, and I know that you still have hope he is alive down zere somevere. So, I thought I vould send you back vith some of my crev to gazer new supplies and take a look to see if you can't find him. If vat I have heard is right zen he vill still be zere, waiting. So go find him." She walked forward and put a hand on my shoulder, giving me a gentle nod to show that this was okay, and that she was doing this because she wanted me to find Rin.

"Thaank...yyoouu." I smiled too, probably for the first time since that day, and climbed aboard to get things moving.

From then on we went planet side once a month for a little while, and then every week from our return dates. Every time we landed near the same spot and took more since it appeared all the plants we had gathered were safe for consumption. In nearly a year's time we had started a small base on the planet and had permanent residents stationed there, and a year after that we were able to park the ship on the planet inside the walls of a thriving city built with the help of backup ships, additional supplies and warriors.

But there was never any sign of the tribe that had taken Rin. Rekera described them to everyone else, bipedal with cat-like feet and hands like ours, covered in white fur speckled with black and long, slender tails with narrow yellow eyes and flat faces. They were about our height, wore little clothing and used crude weapons. It was good enough for the others to pay attention, but no one saw them once we started the base.

Like I said earlier, I don't know how much time passed. Lots of time, though, and during it I had almost given up hope of finding Rin. Then, at long last, one of our scouting parties came back with good news. One of them had spotted the main village of a tribe that sounded exactly like what had been described. We set out a plan, and were supposed to move out the next morning to invade, kill and generally take revenge for what had happened.

"Stemis, you do know that doing this won't bring Rin back if he hasn't survived, right?" Rekera looked at me, worried, but I shook my head as I held tight to my weapon.

"Ii...doon't caaree. Iit wiill maakee...mee feeeel beetteer." I muttered, not even daring to take a look at her anymore.

The relationship Rekera and I had was now gone. It fell apart shortly after that fateful day, mostly because my last memories of Rin were of him next to me and my own failures to admit to him how I felt because I was so torn. Instead she had become more of my Moirail, but even that was slowly failing as well because I couldn't face her.

"Fine, be that way. Maybe once you get this out of your system you'll get back to being yourself." Letting out a short breath Rekera stood and walked away, leaving me alone as I had been for so long.

I had to do this, no matter if Rin was alive or dead. If it turned out they had killed him I knew that taking as many of their lives as possible in return would, if nothing else, help me start to move on from mourning the loss of my dear friend. If I could do that then maybe I could get back together with Rekera, maybe I could finally just feel at ease with myself and sleep for more than an hour or two at a time.

When we left that morning I couldn't help but feel the anticipation running through my system. Azuras, Tess and a few other trolls from other ships came along for the ride as we moved silently through the overgrown trees towards the village in the early hours when it was still dark out to give us the element of surprise. It was easier than I would have thought, their guards were predictable and we were able to infiltrate without problems.

From the news our scouts had brought us we were able to see that all the tribes on this planet were very primitive, no advanced technologies at all. They still lived in houses made from the raw materials around them, and as long as we wore our armors we could get out mostly unscathed. As soon as we moved in the fighting began.

The chaos was calming, in a way. All the fighting, the blood splatter. Our weapons cut right through their flesh as easily as it would a troll with no armor. One came after me, trying to attack me from the front while another came at me from behind. I ducked the first blow, swinging low and taking the man's legs off at the knees before turning and cutting up to split the woman behind me in half. Their bright red blood splattered across my armor and skin, and in that moment the rage I had been carrying for so long was unleashed upon these people.

The rest of the fight was a blur. I remember cutting down enemy after enemy, and only stopped because Tess picked me up with her psionic powers and held me in the air until I was still. The urges stopped, and I felt at peace when my feet finally touched the ground and I looked at the carnage all around me.

"Looks like we got them all. But let's make sure, search the houses and keep a careful eye for returning escapees. And make it quick, we don't know if they'll come in with backup or not." One of the other trolls, someone we had put in charge of our group, shouted the orders and we all obliged.

It wasn't the fight or the blood or the dead bodies that made that day stick in my memory, though. No, those I was used to, those didn't affect me anymore because had seen them too many times before. Men, women and children murdered as they tried to attack us or even where they stood. The crying of infants and those who had survived their injuries would soon be silenced as we all searched the houses and took anything that might be useful.

Inside one of these I found...Rin. It was a small back room to what looked like the main meeting hall of the clan. Heavy metal chains bound him to a wooden wall that would not come down without some force, more than he would be able to muster. Both of his horns were broken and somehow almost sanded smooth, probably so that they could not be used as weapons. He was so thin and weak, naked as he laid on the floor and didn't even get up as I entered the room.

"R-Riin..." I choked back tears, letting my weapon vanish back into its proper place so that my hands would be free, my fingers curling up into fists as I stood there and looked at him.

"Stemis, find anyding?" Tess entered the room as well, but I said nothing.

I heard her gasp as she saw what I was looking at, then a sound of metal on metal as her chakram whizzed forward and broke his chain right where it was attached to his ankle with hairline precision. Rin shifted but didn't even look at us, I knew he was just far too weak for that. How many nights he had he screamed through the nightmares that he could not soothe without the sopor slime we slept in, how long had they abused his body? He was so full of scars I couldn't even comprehend it, and before I knew it I was walking forward to pick him up, feeling his limp and nearly lifeless form in my arms. Rin was barely breathing, eyes distant as if he couldn't see me. It was heartbreaking, but I moved back outside to take Rin back to base, functioning on auto pilot and not even hearing as Tess said something to me before I left.

The moment I returned to our base I took Rin straight to the medical unit we had established and finally let him go. I felt lighter, in some way, as the medics took him from me and started working to try and make him better. Then I collapsed in a chair and just cried, I cried until I felt arms wrap around me and realized it was Rekera, probably having heard the news since I walked right through the base in broad daylight. I sobbed in her arms until I had no more tears to cry, at which point I just held on to her and didn't want to let go, afraid that if I did then it would all fall apart.

Rin was alive, but just barely. All I could do was hope that somehow he would pull through, and if he lived long enough I intended to sit by his bedside and wait as long as it would take for him to get better.


	5. Chapter 5: Unrequited Feelings

The hours dragged on, seemingly endless as Rekera and I sat side by side and waited. It was agonizing, neither of us dared to speak and instead just tried to take comfort in knowing that with each passing minute Rin was still alive and his chances for survival grew.

At long last, nearly six hours after I had brought him in, we were allowed to see Rin. I didn't know if I was ready because I was still feeling the effects of when I had first seen him. What I did know was that I had to go, that if I didn't do it at that moment then I might avoid his room forever and never be able to go in there.

If I had been able to I would have cried standing in that doorway with Rekera. Rin looked so horrible, hooked up to all those machines and barely alive. It hurt somewhere in my heart that I didn't know could feel pain, and with that familiar feeling of running on auto pilot I walked forward and sat down next to his bed.

Rekera pulled up a chair as well and sat with me, and together we waited. The days were slow, but as that time passed somehow Rekera and I made amends with our relationship and got back together. I still felt horrible about having left Rin, even more so now that I had an idea of what he had been through after hearing the doctors talk.

Rin had been brutally beaten on several occasions, and almost all his bones had been broken. Many never set right, causing the medics to have to rebreak many of them so that they could heal properly. On top of all that there would be no way to tell if he had brain damage or use of any of the broken areas until he woke from the coma he'd lapsed into shortly after I brought him back.

None of that, however, stopped me from visiting Rin every day and talking to him as best I could. I just wanted him to hear my voice, to find a reason to come back to the world because if he died after all that I didn't know if I would have been able to handle it. My speech became better because of it too, and after nearly a month's time I felt much more comfortable with what was going on.

The constant beeps of the machines became an endless drone in the background that I had long stopped hearing, always listening for any signs that Rin was waking up and slowly coming back to us. It took time but I kept trying, kept listening, until it all paid off.

"Heelloo, Riin." I greeted him one morning, smiling as I put a small pot with some plants down on his bedside. Beautiful purple things that were native to the planet, and they smelled somewhat like Rin's favorites from back home.

Pulling up my usual chair I reached out and took one of Rin's hands in my own, just feeling the warmth and the pulsing of his body connected to mine. He looked so much better, having gained some weight over his time in the medical ward so that not so many of his bones were showing through his skin. True that Rin's horns would not grow back, that the twisted stubs would forever be his reminder of what had happened, but breaking horns was just part of our life to some extent since we are such a violent race. The scars were fading, though they would never really go away, and with each passing day Rin looked more and more like he might wake up.

"Iillaannaa waas aaskiing aaboouut yoouu eeaarliieer. Shee miight bee byy too seeee yyoouu laateer, Ii hoopee thaat's ookaay." I sighed, reaching up to rub my eyes as I felt the urge to sleep starting to overwhelm me again.

If my sleep habits were bad before then they were even worse now, I only slept when Rekera could drag me away to a spare Recuperacoon and even then not for very long. The dark circles under my eyes were more or less permanent now, but I didn't care as long as I could be there the moment Rin woke up.

"Ssstemisss..." The hissing voice reached my ears and I perked up instantly, looking down at Rin and hoping I was't just hearing things.

"Yees, Riin?" I asked, squeezing his hand a little tighter.

"Where am I?" Yellow eyes stared back at me, a few tears starting to roll down his cheeks.

"Iin thee meediicaal uuniit." I sniffled, almost not daring to believe that he was awake now.

"You sssaved me, didn't you?" Rin smiled, reaching up to wipe his tears away before staring up at the ceiling. "How long...how long wasss I there?" He choked back emotion, and I could tell the memories were all rushing back at once.

"Yeeaars. Ii loost traack oof hoow maany." I sniffled, trying to hold back my own tears as I looked at him.

The next few days passed faster than I can remember. Rin was awake and seemingly alright, outside of being weak from time spent laying on the floor and in the bed. There was no brain damage as best the medics could tell, and with time and practice he would be up and around in no time. Rin was so determined to be back on his feet, and I was there to help him every step of the way until nearly a month later when he was finally able to get around on his own. He had to use a cane from time to time, but with each passing day Rin was getting stronger and I knew he wouldn't need it before long.

For some reason, though, I always sensed that something was off with Rin. He wasn't ever the same, that was to be expected, but this was more than that. Whenever he saw Rekera and I together he became distant, and if anyone but me tried to touch him in any manner he would recoil as if they would hurt him the same way the tribe had hurt him. Zinnia tried to reassure me that it was simply because Rin and I had been so close to begin with and then I had saved him and stayed by his side while he recovered our bond had deepened and it would just take time for him to warm up to others. I tried to take comfort in that, but it became more apparent as time passed that Rin was never going to be anything close to what he had been.

One night as I sat in my room something went horribly wrong. I couldn't sleep, as usual, and instead spent my time staring out the window at the two distant moons of the world we were beginning to inhabit. So far none of the tribes had tried to retaliate against us and outside of the slaughter of the group that had taken Rin we had made no move to harm them either. Rin spoke their language and was slowly teaching me as well, knowing that we'd need to be able to communicate when we came across the tribes again. If we could take over without having to fight them it would be much easier on our warriors and our resources, and it was a smart move.

As my eyes watched the strangely colored moons circle one another and the planet at the same time I heard a creaking noise that made my ears perk up. Rin was standing in my doorway, looking worse than he had in quite a few days as he leaned on the cane and seemed to just simply be tired.

"Riin, whaat aaree yyoouu dooiing heeree?" I asked, looking at him curiously. When he said nothing I stood, but that proved to be a mistake as Rin shut the door and moved to push me against the wall so that his larger body had mine pinned.

Ever since he'd been able to get back on his feet Rin had worked at putting back on weight and regaining the muscles he once had. Outside of the scars and his missing horns it was nearly impossible to tell what he'd been through, and that put him at a few inches taller than me with much more muscle mass. I had no chance to fight back and instead just stood with my head faced away from him, not daring to meet his eyes.

"Ssstemisss...I never told you thisss but...I got through all thossse daysss by thinking of you. I kept telling myssself that you would come and ressscue me, and I never gave up that hope. You did come for me, but it wasss not like I had hoped. I never sssaid anything before because of your relationssship with Rekera, but I can't ssstay sssilent anymore. I love you, Ssstemisss."

Before I could react to Rin's words his lips met mine in a forceful kiss, one I was smart enough not to try and pull away from. I just let Rin get his feelings out and hoped it would pass, but once we parted from the kiss I felt his hand starting to snake down my pants and the familiar feeling of arousal starting to kick in from the sensations.

At that point I did push Rin off with a sudden burst of strength, all but running out of the room before he could try again. I went straight to Zinnia's place and shut the door behind me, looking at her with a quick blush as she sat near her Recuperacoon in nothing but her undergarments.

"Ah Stemis. Can I help you vith anything?" She asked, not seeming the least bit concerned that I had walked in on her like that.

"Yees. Caan Ii stayy heeree foor aa biit?" I tried not to seem as nervous as I was, and thankfully Zinnia didn't push the issue as she nodded, flipping another page in the book she was reading.

"Sure. Clearly zis is important, you vouldn't have barged in on me if it vasn't. Stay as long as you need." It was comforting to hear that as I sat down on the other side of the room and just pulled my knees to my chest, almost unable to wrap my brain about what happened and what Rin had just done.


	6. Chapter 6: Nothing is the Same

I stayed put in Zinnia's room for days, asking her kindly to lock my door and tell everyone else that I just needed a little time to myself. I'm sure Rekera eventually got the truth out of her, but everyone else seemed satisfied with that and left me be. I didn't know what to do, how to react. I slept very little, usually in Zinnia's Recuperacoon while she slept either next to me or sat awake herself nearby, but finally it seemed I was to be called out on my actions.

"Stemis, you can't hide out forever. One day you vill have to face vatever brought you here." Zinnia said one evening as she placed a bowl of soup down in front of me.

"Ii knoow, buut..." I felt tears in my eyes again and stopped, wiping them away before she could see.

"But vat, Stemis? Vat happened vith you and Rin? And don't ask how I know zis, because it's easy enough to tell. He's been asking about you almost nonstop since you came here, so it obviously has to do vith him."

"Ii...Ii doon't waant too taalk aaboouut iit." I managed, but said no more as Zinnia stared down at me with a death glare I had never really known before.

"Stop being a covard, Stemis. Go face your problems, and get out of my room. I've had enough of zis." She was kicking me out, and before she could forcibly toss me into the hall I got up and left on my own two feet, snagging the key to my room on the way.

The walk was long and quiet, but I liked it that way since I could see the moons hanging in the sky overhead. Rather than return to the safety of my room as I should have, I went to the outskirts of our now flourishing town and sat among the gardens we had built there of plants that we knew now were safe to eat. They were funny looking things for the most part, all shapes and sizes and colors and textures, but my favorites were what we had all come to call the 'Harmony Fruit'. I walked through the garden until I found the tree I was looking for, its top well above the rest of the trees we had been growing. The leaves were almost more like vines, all stemming out from a set of central branches near the top and hanging straight to the ground. It almost made a curtain that one could walk through, and while the tree itself seemed unassuming from that side it was on the other side of the vine curtain that was the amazing part.

A soft, glowing light emanated from within and as I parted a few of the vines to step inside I could see the glowing groundcover plants that had spread there. It seemed they were related to the tree, in a way, because they only grew outward from the trunk to the rim of the vine curtain and never went any further. Under my bare feet they felt like some sort of soft metal, cold and hard but with enough give that my weight wouldn't crush them though it did cause the light to change colors ever so slightly as I moved towards the trunk from a soft white to a light green. The light was always white to start, but seemed to shift to the blood color of anyone who walked among them so the change was nothing new to me.

At the trunk I found what I was looking for, a hollow opening just a little below my head level. Inside was a substance we called 'pseudo mind honey' because it looked, smelled and even felt almost identical to the mind honey from our home world (though this, we had determined, was safe to eat unlike the real thing). The pseudo mind honey gave the entire place a very sweet smell, but it was almost overpowering near the hollow in the tree. Still, that didn't stop me from reaching inside until my hands curled around a fruit that had a perfectly spherical shape to it. Moving slowly I pulled back, allowing both my hands and the fruit to come carefully free of the sticky honey until it rebounded back into the hole and I was left holding a decent sized white orb.

Much like the light of the tree the orb started out white but slowly shifted to match my blood color, turning a shade of deep forest green before settling. A hairline crack formed along one side, and as I held it the fruit split perfectly in two, revealing its seed-filled insides. Everything about this fruit was safe to eat, we had discovered, but I always liked the seeds best because the flavor reminded me of every time I had ever kissed Rekera. So I sat down on the other side of the tree and picked idly at the seeds, eating them in a very lazy manner as I let my thoughts wander. Out here, seeing the beauty of the world we were starting to settle into, I felt as if I could think far more freely and maybe wrap my mind around what had happened.

How long I sat like that still isn't clear to me. A few moments or a few hours, but still something interrupted that silence as the vine curtain shifted again and someone else entered the space. I watched the color of the ground beneath me change to accommodate the newcomer, a sort of violet purple that was obviously Highblood in nature but also not within the Hemospectrum. I knew before I even saw that it would be Azuras, but what I didn't notice was the color subtly shifting to the Hemospectrum purple as I stood to face the mutant blooded troll.

I had never really liked Azuras. Being flirty and not filling quadrants was for children, we were all older now and it was expected that we'd be in more or less stable relationships. But no, he was still flighty, still refused to settle, and that never sat right with me as I raised an eyebrow at him and curled up my lips to show my teeth and that I wanted to be left alone. I already knew my weapon was back in my room and if it came to a fight I'd never stand a chance without it, but as Azuras rounded the tree I caught Rin coming in behind him and outright snarled before backing up slowly.

"Aww, what are you running away for Ssstemisss? I jussst want to talk." Rin had a playful smile on his lips, but I could see it in his eyes that he had far more sinister intentions in mind. I was too focused on him and didn't see Azuras moving behind me until I backed up into the taller troll and he pulled my arms behind my back so I couldn't struggle against him.

"Whaat aaree yyoouu plaaniing, Riin?" I tried to keep up a good front, but I knew there was nothing I could do. Azuras could easily keep me restrained and even if I did escape Rin was faster and I could see that he still had his weapon card within easy reach. The Silver Chomper could tear me apart easily, and the Rin I was facing now was not the same Rin I had known for years. That torture had changed him, and I had to let go that he would never be the Rin I remembered.

"Nothing, my dear Ssstemisss." He smirked, moving closer to me and pressing his lips against mine.

I knew better than to try and resist, so I simply let Rin do what he wanted with me. Azuras eventually got bored with watching and 'helping' and got in on the action as well. By the time they were done the sun was starting to rise and I was a mess of tears and bruises. I could feel every place my skin had been cut, every bruise from one of them grabbing me too hard, like it was all on fire. I couldn't even move for the longest time, I just hoped no one would come across me as I laid there and eventually got myself together enough to straighten my clothes and get up. Everything hurt and I was sure I was covered in blood and tears and looked a mess but I really didn't care, all I wanted was to go back to my room.

Not two minutes after I had shut the door behind me someone knocked. I really didn't feel like answering in my present state and instead left it, moving to the bathroom so I could get a better look at myself in the mirror as I took my shirt off. The damage wasn't as bad as I had originally thought it to be, just a few cuts and scrapes and some bruises on my wrists but it was still enough that anyone who saw me would know something had happened. Sure they had both been careful not to damage anything that would show, like my face, but the pain would be a dead giveaway, especially to Rekera if she caught a close look at me.

As I grabbed my own first aid kit and started to patch myself up I was too distracted to notice that someone had opened my door. In fact, I didn't really realize anyone was there until I saw movement out of the corner of my eye and turned on instinct, still a little paranoid after what had just happened to me. Yet it was not Rin or Azuras who stood there, but Rekera with tears in her eyes. It was too late to hide the injuries or make up a story, I had purple and violet splattered across myself as well, mixing with my own green and making this disgusting color that I just wanted to wash off.

"What happened Stemis?" Her voice wasn't demanding, but I knew better than to keep an answer from her.

"Riin aand Aazuuraas juumpeed mee iin thee gaardeen." I said slowly, grabbing a towel and starting to wash the blood away from some of my wounds to see which ones were serious and which could just be patched with a bandage.

Rekera was silent in the wake of my words, instead moving to take the towel from me and start wiping the blood away for me. She helped me put some stitches in a few of the bigger cuts and patch what I couldn't reach, but I could see the anger seething in her eyes. She and I were Matesprit, and I knew Rekera wouldn't take this sitting down. I didn't really care, though, if her anger would make sure that Rin and Azuras didn't come within my eyesight ever again. At that point I was too angry both with them and with myself to give a damn, and I was actually hoping that Rekera would beat them both to a bloody pulp.

"Doon't goo." I reached out and snagged Rekera's wrist as she moved towards the door, pulling her into a hug just so I could feel her body against mine.

"Fine, I'll stay. As long as you need." She whispered back, leaning into me as I held her before I sat down in a chair and held her close for comfort.


	7. Chapter 7: The Final Battle

I don't know if I fell asleep with Rekera in my room or not, but what I do know is that when I woke again I was in my Recuperacoon and she was gone. I blinked in confusion but didn't have much time to get my bearings before an alarm came blaring through the space and red lights began to flash. Something was going terribly wrong so I got up quickly and snagged my armor and weapon before rushing out of my room, dressing as I went so I didn't waste time. Everything stung as I moved and I had to be careful not to pull any of my stitches but eventually I was ready to go as I rushed towards where everyone else was heading and caught up with Tess as she exited her room too.

"Teess, whaat's gooiing oon?" I asked, drawing the Emerald Double Dragon and holding it tightly while she held two of her own Spiky Suns and the other two floated above her head.

"It's Rekera. S'e put Azuras in de infirmary den took off after Rin but 'e ran into de forest. Sounds like 'e's back, wid company dis time." It sounded serious, and I nodded before trying to rush forward only to have Tess stop me by putting a hand on my shoulder "'ey, be careful will ya? I can tell yer 'urt some, so don't overdo it. We can 'andle dings widout ya if ya need ta rest."

"Noo, Ii'm fiinee. Thaanks, thoouugh." I wouldn't let my injuries keep me from helping defend my friends, if Rin had brought company chances were it was another tribe of the people we had brought down to get to him. Between their lack of technology and our greater numbers we'd be just fine, I was sure, and with that in mind I took off with Tess right next to me towards the battlefield.

Jess, Rekera, Illana and Zinnia were all waiting along with the rest of the trolls who had helped us terraform the world and make it inhabitable for us. We were just outside the city gates, staring down at least twice our numbers in native inhabitants. Most of them looked like some sort of half animal half human halfbreeds, none were well armored and their weapons seemed to be bows, spears and swords. Rin was right at the front of them, fully armored with his weapon drawn and the natives looking at him as if waiting for an order of attack.

"Little bastard." Zinnia spat, snarling as she stepped to the front of our group to show that she was the leader. As captain of the initial invading ship that also put her in charge of the city, and I think at that point she was also trying to intimidate them as she held two small hand bombs. We all knew the moment she threw them it would make a smokescreen and give us some cover, and we would have a chance to rush in and hopefully have the element of surprise over our enemies.

There was no point in reasoning, that much I knew. Even from a distance I could see in Rin's eyes the determination to go through with this, words would no longer reach him. It tore at my heart to know that, though, because the Rin I had known for so many years would never come back now. Part of my mind still put all the blame on my shoulders for not going back for him that day, not doing more to find him sooner so that maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't have been so bad for him and the battle we were about to take part in didn't have to happen.

"On my count." Zinnia raised her bombs high above her head, letting go as they started to float by the power of one of the psionic sisters. I was too distracted to see which one, focusing on Rin so that his eyes would meet mine and he would see the rage there. Rage at what he had done to me, rage that I normally didn't show. I hated revenge, hated violence, but after what he and Azuras had done something in me snapped and all I wanted was to see Rin squirming and screaming like I had the night before. I didn't even hear the countdown, I just saw the movement out of the corner of my eyes as the bombs went flying towards our enemies.

The explosion was silent but it sent up smoke that obscured the battlefield. With the roar of two armies heading to war the battle began. Tess and Jess led, using their powers to fly forward directly into the fray. The rest of us weren't far behind, running to the smoke and clashing with the animal people. Some went down easily enough but others had primitive or even natural armors that proved far more difficult to defeat. For the entirety of that fight I was focused on only one thing - finding Rin. I listened for his voice, watched carefully for any hint of his body on the field.

I cut down enemy after enemy, swinging with precision movements and killing as fast as I could. I moved through the clouds and fog, pushing and focusing until at long last I caught sight of Rin. He swung his scythe and nearly hit Zinnia as she ducked, trying to back up and put some space between them so she could throw a bomb and get the upper hand. Her leg had a deep gash in it, however, and her one arm was swinging nearly uselessly at her side. As much as I had resented Zinnia for taking Rin's place initially I had come to respect and even like her over time and I was not about to let Rin take her down.

With a swiftness I didn't know I had in me I rushed forward, blocking Rin's strike as he moved to take Zinnia down after she had stumbled to the ground. The sound of metal clanging rang out and I pushed Rin back with a feral roar. By this point I knew I'd kill him if I got even the slightest chance, he had violated me and now threatened to kill one of the people who had been kind to me and I would not stand for that.

"Heh, good to sssee you finally grew a backbone, Ssstemisss." He hissed at me, regaining his ground after I had pushed him back.

"Zanks, Stemis." Zinnia sighed from the ground, hauling herself up behind me slowly.

"Geet baack, Niiaa. Ii haavee Riin." There was a snarl to my voice but it wasn't an order of any nature. Still Zinnia seemed to take my advice and backed off, running as fast as she could for safer ground and the medics waiting behind our walls to treat those who could get back to them.

Even though the battle raged all around us I could see in Rin that nothing else mattered but the fight we were about to have. Our grips tightened around the poles of our weapons and after a moment that seemed like a lifetime we moved. My body shook as the resonation of the force behind our weapons went through me, but I didn't let it slow me down at all. I used the force of my first push to get airborne, my double axe keeping me grounded to Rin as I went up and over to land behind him. His scythe blade had the other end of my pole snared, but the rest of my body was still in the fight and without further hesitation I let go of the pole and ducked to swing one leg out at him.

Rin tripped and I didn't wait, grabbing the wood of my axe and tearing it away from his weapon. There was a sickening crack as it snapped in the middle but there was still enough hand grip for me to use them as two separate weapons similar to how I'd use my Twin Oaks and I took advantage of that. However Rin was a fighter, and once his brain grasped what had happened he swung his scythe fast and fierce so as not to give me another opening. The blade was a blur as I dodged around the cuts it was making in the ground and a few of them tore through my armor and found purchase in flesh.

Things went on like this for quite some time, me finding slow openings that never led to anything more than a few hits on my part while he continued his dangerous assault until at long last I found one last chance to beat him. I moved swiftly, taking a nearly full blow to one leg before rushing right at Rin. The axe blades dug into his neck and he fell back, my weight falling on top of him until the metal dug into the ground. Rin coughed and sputtered, blood dripping from the edges of his mouth before he was still. Wide eyes stared blankly at me until I reached up and closed them out of respect, finally realizing in the aftermath that the inhabitants were retreating. Despite their numbers we were running them off, and once they reached the treeline we roared in victory before Rekera came running out across the battlefield towards me.

"Stemis you..." She stopped, looking down at me and the dead body of Rin under me.

I couldn't even speak, I just nodded and reached up a hand to take one she extended to me before falling back down to one knee just to one side of the body. I felt dizzy, and looking back at my leg I realized then that the scythe had torn through it completely and I was bleeding everywhere. The last thing I remember is the world going black as Rekera screamed what I presumed was my name. It would be days before I woke in the infirmary, but Rekera was right beside me as always.

The bottom portion of my right leg was gone, just a stump at the knee now, but we had the technology to replace it with a prosthetic so I wasn't too worried. From what Rekera told me we had won the fight and tracked down the tribes and slaughtered the rest before taking over their villages and making sure that none of the inhabitants of the world would stand up to us again. Zinnia had even called for backup just to make sure on a 'better safe than sorry' policy. The bodies of both natural citizens and our own were piled on the field and burned as a warning, and it seemed for the time being we were safe. I learned a few days later that Azuras was getting put on another ship once he was up and about, as much as we were a violent race what he and Rin had done to me went beyond all of that and was not acceptable.

Things have been...more or less peaceful since then. It's nice, but at the same time I still feel that piece within me that snapped and it wants to feel the rush of the fight again. I don't know how much longer I can suppress it, I just hope I can keep hold of it until we find ourselves in the midst of another battle. The loss of my leg and the use of a metallic one would take some getting used to, but I knew by the time our next fight hit I would be well adjusted and able to unleash that rage once more, hopefully with better results now that I knew I could reign it in to some extent.

And that is my story, or at the very least my story until now. Why I didn't begin to record the events sooner I still don't know, it has been somewhat helpful to recall what happened and reflect upon what has led me to this point. I hope that in the future I will be able to look back on this as a lesson, and perhaps pass this on to my descendants somehow so that they too can learn and hopefully not make the same mistakes I have.


End file.
